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S'more Entertainment Adds Galaxy Express 999 TV Anime

Arny Schorr, owner of the North American anime distributor S'more Entertainment, confirmed on Monday that his company acquired the Galaxy Express 999 television series from Toei Animation. The classic 1978-1981 television series from director Rintarō adapts Leiji Matsumoto's space opera manga of the same name. S'more Entertainment is planning the first American DVD release for the series with English subtitles, but the release date has not been set yet.

The story follows a young orphan named Tetsuro as he travels with a mysterious woman named Maetel through the galaxy on a space train, in the hopes of obtaining a cybernetic body. The train stops at many planets along the way, often leading to adventures for the two.

Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu have been streaming the television anime series outside Japan since 2009. The original manga also inspired a 1979 film that Viz once licensed in North America along with its sequel Adieu Galaxy Express 999. Discotek released the first Galaxy Express 999 film on DVD in North America last year.

When asked if he would license more anime, Schorr said, "We'll see how it goes. The DVD business is pretty much [going down], and we picked [another anime, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo,] up because it was unique and it was broadcast, and yet nobody's done complete releases."

Image © Leiji Matsumoto, Toei Animation

Update: Founded in 2005 by Schorr (formerly of Rhino Entertainment), S'more Entertainment specializes in DVD releases of vintage television series and cult films. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and Galaxy Express 999 are S'more Entertainment's first two anime releases. Retail distribution for S'more is handled in the United States and Canada by Entertainment One Ltd.